For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 24, 2001
Remarks by the President at Swearing-In Ceremony for Dr. Roderick Paige as Secretary of Education
Department of Education Washington. D.C.
1:24 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Mr. Vice President,
thank
you very much. Dr. Paige, family members. I look out and
see so many
members from the United States Senate -- Mr. Chairman, thank you for
coming. Senator Kennedy, I appreciate you being here, as well.
I don't
want to skip anybody, but the reason I mention those two, they happen
to be
the Chairman and Ranking Minority of the Education Committee. I
see
members from the House who are here -- thank you all for coming, as
well.
Of course, Senator Hutchison, from the home state of Dr. Paige and the
President. (Laughter.) John Culberson from the district
which represents
Houston. So thank you for coming. I am honored you are
here.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to witness the swearing-in
of a man who will help us see important reforms for education become
reality.
The Vice President and I were so pleased to be invited, and are
pleased to be here in this important building. It is an important
moment
and we were certainly not going to miss it. I wanted to see the
beginning
of a new era in public education.
Dr. Paige and I share a basic commitment; we'll work to bring
excellence to all public schools all across America. I picked a
really
good man to run this department, a man of integrity, a man of common
sense,
a down-to-earth man who knows how to get the job done.
My administration has no greater priority than education, and Dr.
Paige and I share that urgency, and there's no greater champion of
reform
than the man I am about to witness be sworn in as the Secretary of
Education.
Every problem now facing our nation's public schools Dr. Paige
faced as Superintendent of the Houston Independent School District --
children unable to read at basic levels; falling scores in science and
math; problems with discipline and order. Dr. Paige answered
those
challenges with the spirit we must now bring to all our schools and all
our
districts in every state.
He did not tolerate indifference or mediocrity. He demanded the
highest standards of students in schools, and people rose to the
challenge.
He proved that poverty does not need to be a barrier to achievement.
He
stressed reading as the key to all learning, and he measured progress,
holding schools accountable for results. As Dr. Paige takes his
new
assignment, Houston is now a city proud of its schools, and a city more
hopeful for its children.
Rod Paige gained his passion for education from his own
background. His mother was a librarian and his dad was a school
principal.
His three sisters have dedicated their careers to teaching and
education.
And we welcome them to this ceremony today.
In his distinguished career, Rod Paige has seen firsthand what
works. He has not just talked about education reform, he's
practiced it.
And that's why I picked him. He has shown an ability to reach
across party
lines, to cross old divisions for the sake of our children. I
value all
these qualities, and our country needs them.
We have great and urgent work to do. I'm honored to have this
good man to be our partner in reform. (Applause.)
(The oath of office is administered.) (Applause.)
SECRETARY PAIGE: Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you,
Mr.
Vice President. I am honored personally, and on behalf of the
Department
of Education, to welcome you and the Vice President to this
Department.
Your presence here makes this a special occasion.
I would also like to thank many members of Congress who came
today. I am looking forward to working with each of you in the
service of
our children. I would also like to thank each of you for
generously
sharing your ideas with me, and your experience with me; and also of
telling me of your hopes from your part of the United States, and what
we
can do to make education better for all children, and what we can do to
sustain a platform for building bipartisan consensus around core
ideas.
Congressman Watt, thank you for your words of invocation. And
also to Reverend Ratcliff, who comes all the way from Houston from the
Brentwood Baptist Church to share this moment.
And on a personal note, I can't tell you how pleased I am to have
my sisters and my brother and my son present -- Elaine, Alfreda, Ray
and
Jimmy -- who match my passion for education and my pride on being named
Secretary of Education.
I would also like to thank my friends from the Board of Education
from Houston. They are really responsible for the leadership in
the
Houston Independent School District -- Mr. Marshall and Ms. Bricker and
Mr.
Gaines.
Yesterday was an historical day for those of us who have been
involved in reforming public education, as a privilege and pleasure to
stand beside President Bush, and to watch his education reform package
be
handed off to Congress.
From the standpoint of educators and from the Department of
Education, President Bush is not your typical President. He has
made
education his first priority. And the proposal that he has
delivered, the
proposal that was delivered yesterday, is not just an announcement of a
blue ribbon panel, not just a pilot program, it's a real program.
President Bush has set forth a clear and detailed plan for making
our public schools excellent, so that every child in this country can
have
access to a quality education. He has included in that plan not
only the
objectives, but the support and the flexibility that states and school
districts and schools and parents need in order to reach the
objective.
President Bush has assumed this as his mission -- the mission
that no child will be left behind. He's made it clear that he
sees the
urgency involved in making our classrooms safer and equipping every
child
with reading and math skills, and closing the inexcusable achievement
gap
that exists among students attending public schools across this country
--
primarily among minority students and economically disadvantaged
students.
I'm proud to have been identified with the Houston Independent
School District, because of that great work; and to have worked with
administrators and teachers and parents to bring about change and to
prove
to me -- this district proved to me -- that change can happen.
I look forward to working with the President and the Vice
President and members of Congress to turn President Bush's deep
commitment
to our public schools into quality for every student. Together
with you,
Mr. President; and with you, Mr. Vice President; and with Congress, we
can
make education reform the law of the land.
I'll work with the men and women who dedicated themselves to the
Department of Education, to students across this country to empower
states
and school districts and schools and parents in order that we may serve
the
needs of our students.
When each and every child in this country can receive a quality
public education, we have made history together. Together, we
can.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 1:34
P.M. EST
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